Butt-ejecting cigarette holder



June 1954 K. F. J. KIRSTEN BUTT-EJECTING CIGARETTE HOLDER Filed May 24, 1952 g INVENTOR.

Kurr Ed. Klrsten v fgJ Patented June 1, 1954 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE Claims. I

This invention relates to improvements in a butt-ejecting cigarette holder of the type in which the ejection is performed by the act of telescoping the mouthpiece relative to the barrel in opposition to a return spring.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved cigarette holder of the aforesaid type which is of particularly simple construction and utilizes an elastic O-ring to dampen the effect of a return sprin and operate as a seal against leakage of salivary or other moisture.

With the foregoing and still other objects and advantages in view which will appear and be understood in the course of the following description and claims, the invention consists in the novel construction and in the adaptation and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view drawn to an enlarged scale and taken principally in longitudinal vertical section and partially in elevation; and

Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. 1, the bit of the holder being shown as having been pressed forwardly in relation to the holder proper to eject the stub of a smoked cigarette.

My cigarette holder is comprised generally of two stationary parts and two slidable members, the former being a barrel l0 and bushing l I, and the latter a mouthpiece l2 and ejector It. The barrel has a through-bore l4 flared at its ends to form forward and rear sockets for the butt part of a cigarette and for the bushin ll, respectively. It will be noted that the bushing is formed externally with a tapering portion which finds a close fit in the flared rear-end socket of the barrel, and is further provided with a cylindrical portion extending forwardly beyond the flare to fit more or less loosely within the rear end of the bore. The structural details of the barrel are of no particular moment to the present invention but it may be here stated that the same is desirably thin-walled and of a material such a Duralumin relatively high in heat conductivity.

Referring to the hollow mouthpiece [2, it will be noted that it terminates at its inner forward end in a tubular boss I", and press-fitted in this boss and extending forwardly as a unitary part thereof is the ejector I 3. The latter is in part tubular and in part solid, the tubular part It lying to the rear while the solid ram-rod part I! extends forwardly and has a flat head I8 formed upon its forward end with a diameter slightly less than that of the bore M. The length of the ram-rod is such, when the parts of the holder occupy a normal assembled position, as to bring the head into proximity of the forward end of the bore, the forwardly facing flat wall of said head defining the rearmost limit of the cigarette socket. Smoke drawn from the cigarette past the ejector head l8 and into the chamber between the ram-rod and the barrel is given access through a wall port is into the interior passage 29 of the ejectors tubular part it, and passes therefrom through the mouthpiece to the smoker. The bushing ii presents a substantially uniform inside diameter throughout other than for an inturned flange 2i which lies at the forward end. The diameter of the bushings major bore corresponds to that of the boss 15, while the reduced minor bore produced by the flanging of the forward end has a diameter corresponding to that of the outside diameter of the tubular part 16. Accordingly, there is described between the flange and the boss, and circumscribing the tubular part of the ejector, a chamber 22 adapted to receive a compression spring 23. This spring bears at its forward end against the flange 21 and at its other end against the forward end of the boss l5.

To limit the recoil of the ejector there is provided a collar 24 made integral with the ejector at the juncture of the ram-rod and tubular part thereof. Girdin the tubular part I6 to occupy a position between this collar and the forward end wall of the bushing H is a solid O-rin 26 composed of natural or synthetic rubber which is capable of being readily compressed and has comparatively high elasticity. The ring is preferably circular in its normal cross-section, and has an inside and an outside diameter less in the former instance and greater in the latter instance than the outside diameter of the tubular part i 6 and the inside diameter of the bore I4, respectively. In this regard it will be noted that the portion 25 of the tubular part directly adjoining the collar 2 3 has its outside diameter enlarged somewhat.

From the foregoing description it will, it is believed, be obvious that the butt B of a smoked cigarette is readily ejected from its socket by pressing the mouthpiece l 2 forwardly in relation to the barrel H), such pressure acting to advance the ram-rod l7 correspondingly. In course of this advance movement the O-ring 26 is caused to move forwardly with respect to the barrel due to the friction between the ring and the ram-rod and barrel, and in course of this forward movement there develops a deformation of the ring as the latter tends to roll, or which is to say turn upon itself about the center of its cross-section. The directional course of this rolling action is reversed as the compressed spring 23 is permitted to expand following the ejection action, and there then occurs the advantageous dampening of the springs recoil, caused in part by the resistance of the ring to its deformation and in part by resistance to slippage. I have illustrated by full lines in Fig. 2 the most probable position of the ring after ejection of the cigarette butt, although the ring, by being frictionally held either to the ram-rod or to the barrel while largely confining its slippage to the other said member, could feasibly occupy the dotted-line positions illustrated in this view. As the collar 24 approaches the flange 2| of the bushing due to the expansion of the spring after th cigarette butt has been ejected, the enlarged portion 25 of the tubular part causes an increased radial compression of the O-ring which augments the dampening action of the ring as it is squeezed between the collar and the front end of the bushing by the force of the spring. This increased radial compression of the O-ring also assures that the ring will effectively accomplish its secondary function, and namely that of sealing the rear end of the barrel against leakage and preventing fluid matter containing coal tar and other gummy substances from entering the spring chamber 22.

Although I have here illustrated and particularly described the now-preferred embodiment of my stub-ejecting cigarette holder, it is my in tention that no limitations be implied therefrom and that the hereto annexed claims be given an interpretation in the reading thereof fully commensurate with the broadest meaning which the language permits.

What I claim is:

l. A butt-ejecting cigarette holder comprising a barrel having a through-bore, a bushing seated in the rear end of the bore having a radially inturned flange at its forward end, an ejector assembly received for endwise sliding movement in said bushing and having a mouthpiece with its forward end portion journaled in the bushing proper and having a forwardly facing shoulder said assembly having a reduced tubular part journaled in the said inturned flange, a compression spring housed between the reduced tubular part and the bushing and seated at its forward and rear ends against the inturned flange and the said shoulder, respectively, said ejector assembly providing a collar at the forward end of the tubular part and a ram-rod extending forwardly of the collar, a passage from the outside of the ram-rod to the inside of the tubular section, and an annular elastic ring surrounding said tubular part between the collar and the inturned flange and adapted to be compressed between the barrel and the reduced tubular part, said ring being adapted to turn about the center of its cross-section and move forwardly with respect to the barrel during the butt ejection operation initiated by a forward pushing of the ejector assembly relative to the barrel and bushing in opposition to the spring.

2. The cigarette holder of claim 1 in which the ram-rod, collar, and tubular part are one piece.

3. The cigarette holder of claim 2 in which the mouthpiece presents a tubular boss at its forward end into which is fitted the rear end of the tubular part.

4. The cigarette holder of claim 1 in which the ram-rod is formed with an enlarged ejector head having a diameter less than that of the barrel bore.

5. The cigarette holder of claim 1 in which a short forward portion of the tubular part directly adjacent to the collar has a slightly larger diameter than the remainder of its length rearwardly thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,410,954 Pollack Mar. 28, 1922 1,613,345 Tiegen Jan. 4, 1927 1,658,627 Baumann Feb. '7, 1928 2,103,662 Brower Dec. 28, 1937 2,228,951 Franklin Jan. 14, 1941 2,373,629 Kilgore Apr. 10, 1945 2,534,799 Schwinn Dec. 19, 1950 

